The Toronto Maple Leafs announced Monday night, before their game against the Anaheim Ducks, that Brad Treliving is no longer the General Manager of the Hockey Club.
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) March 31, 2026
MLSE president and CEO Keith Pelley announced the decision, saying a new direction is needed for the team to have the ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup.
“Throughout this season, there has been an in-depth analysis of both the current state of the Maple Leafs organization and the direction needed to achieve the ultimate goal of bringing a Stanley Cup championship to the city,” Pelley said in a statement.
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Brad Treliving Out as GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs #leavesforever pic.twitter.com/hOPFRLoeQc
— Jim Biringer (@JimBiringer) March 31, 2026
The Brad Treliving trial in Toronto is over. The team made the playoffs twice, losing to the Boston Bruins in the first round in 2024. Then, in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Toronto lost to the Florida Panthers in Round 2. After that, Brendan Shanahan was released, and Treliving was put in charge of all hockey operations.
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Treliving retooled the lineup to fit head coach Craig Berube’s playing style, starting with forward Mitch Marner. We know that Marner had already decided to leave, and Treliving tried to take Mikko Rantanen to Toronto but failed. Instead, Treliving failed to find the necessary pieces to replace his production. Players like Matias Maccelli, Dakota Joshua, and Nic Roy didn’t make the cut.
The Toronto Maple Leafs went from a team that won the Atlantic Division and went out in the second round last year to a team hoping to finish in the top five in order to not lose their first round draft pick to the Boston Bruins. Not to mention the Maple Leafs were sellers at the deadline, releasing Bobby McMann, Scott Laughton, and Nic Roy as they tried to restock their dry roster.
So this move helps, given how the team is not doing well this season.
It was on the air when the #LeafsForever the news just dropped. There was word over the weekend that a change was being considered for the GM position, but I thought they would wait until the end of the season – Treliving has one year left on his contract.
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) March 31, 2026
The Toronto Maple Leafs will conduct an extensive General Manager search after releasing Treliving with one season left on his contract.
The Leafs will conduct an official GM search. A very important offseason for the Leafs, to say the least. Continuing the GM search immediately was deemed more important than waiting another two-plus weeks for the regular season to end before making a GM change. Treliving had one more year…
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) March 31, 2026
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However, the coach’s fate remains positive for next season and beyond.
Treliving will not hide and will accept his share of responsibility for a brutal year. Meanwhile, Craig Berube is set to coach the Maple Leafs tonight in Anaheim and sources say that without being informed of Treliving’s fate, Berube has not been given an indication of what…
– Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) March 31, 2026
However, according to Dave Pagnotta of Fourth Period on TSN Radio in Montreal, there is a feeling that Craig Berube will not return next season. ‘
“Here in Toronto, where I am right now, there is a strong belief that they are going to make a change, and Craig Berube is not coming back next season, and I believe he has two years left on his contract. I think he signed a four-year contract. If the Maple Leafs take this step, which is expected to end this season, they will have options to coach the next coach.”
Without a coach and the next General Manager, the future of Auston Matthews will have to be decided this summer.
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